Constructional toy



Febe 14, 1939. w. G. LAIRD I 147,373

CONS TRUCTJIONAL` TOY Filed NOV. 18, 1955 NVENTOR W/LBUR G. LAIRD A TTORNE Y Patented Feb. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE coNs'rRUc'rIoNAL 'roY Wilbur G. Laird, Pleasantville, N. Y. Application November 1s, 1935, serial No. 50,293

13 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in constructional toys and more particularly tc a structural unit for use in the building of toy structures.

Many types of building blocks or constructional toys have been devised, but in almost every case the building units of any set are of several sizes and shapes. The manufacture of several diierent sizes and shapes of units for a single building set is relatively expensive and often complicates the set, particularly for younger children.

Therefore the primary object of the present invention is the provision of a toy construe-tional unit which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and readily understood and used by very young children.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a single constructional unit adapted to be used in the building of a wide variety of toy structures of different size and shape.

Having these objects in mind the improved toy constructional unit comprises a rod of relatively great length compared to its thickness, width or diameter. One end of the rod includes or is formed of a plurality of spaced bevel. ended ingers or projections extending parallel to the axis of the rod proper. The other end of the rod comprises a corresponding number of longitudinal fins on the axis of the rod, the hns of one rod being adapted to extend between the fingers or projections of a similar rod or unit for the purpose of coupling the rods together end to end.

Further objects and advantages of the improved constructional toy unit will be apparent from the following detailed description thereof taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a longitudinal view showing the improved unit as it appears in one position.

Fig. 2; is a similar View of the unit shown in Fig. l rotated through 90, or it would appear looking from either side in Fig. 1. g

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the section line directly to the left in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectionk on the section line directly to the left in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, the improved toy constructional unit of the present invention com'- prises a rod 2 shown as circular in cross section but which may be square, hexagonal or of other desired shape. It is to be understood that in making any particular toy structure such as a bridge or tower, etc., the necessary number of units or rods 2 will be employed. The upper end. of the rod 2 in its preferred form is comprised of four similar long fingers or projections 3 separated by uniform spaces or slots 1S. The ends of the ngers 3 are preferably beveled at 6 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The beveled end is preferably a cone section.

The lower or opposite end of the rod 2 includes a plurality of long radial hns 8 and lil of substantially uniform thickness. The fins l0 extend beyond the iins 8 so as to form a fin tail l2 across the entire end of the rod as shown in Figs. l and 2.k

The rods may be made with any suitable ornamentation or left plain as desired. The rod 2 is ornamented in the middle with a circumierential head I4 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The rods may be made in any desired color or color combinations.

The spacing of the fingers 3 on each rod is such that they are adapted to fit snugly on the n 8 and l of every other such rod. The ngers should be rigid but springy enough to hold on to or grip the fins reasonably Well without being too inilexible. In using the rods 2 for erecting a beam structure for example, beams, uprights or braces of any length may be made by joining a plurality of rods end to end by inserting the ns of one rod between the lingers of another rod. That the iins of one rod t between the fingers of another rod is apparent from a comf parison of the shaded portions of Figures 3 and 4 of the drawing. It is not necessary or desired that the ingers extend up along the fins more than one third or one half their length, to secure a rigid end-to-end joint. rods are joined end-to-end, approximately the lower half of the spaces between the ngers and approximately the upper half of the ns S should be left uncovered. This leaves the uncovered fins and unfilled spaces or slots for the attachment of other rods at any desired angle. A suitable stop (not shown) may be placed near either end of the rod to limit the overlap of the iingers and ins in the end-to-end joint.

One rod may be joined at right angles to another rod by either inserting the ns tail l2 in one of the slots 4 or by placing the ends of the fingers over any one of the iins 8 and lil. 1t is apparent that at least four rods may be joined to one end of a single other rod by inserting the v fin tail l2 of each of the four rods in a slot d, or by putting the fingers of each of the four rods on a separate nn. In this case the four rods when placed at right angles to the single rod may extend in a plane in four directions. One

Where two or more rod may be secured to another at any desired angle, for example 45, by inserting one of the corners of the n tail I2 of one rod, in any one of the slots 4 of a separate rod; or by inserting any pair of fingers 3 of one rod over any one of the fins of another rod. In this case the beveled ends of the ngers aid in providing a greater contact surface between the ends of the fingers and\the n over which they extend.

It is apparent from the foregoing brief outline of the various ways of joiningr the rods that a three-dimensional structure may be erected with any desired bracing arrangement. It is furthermore apparent that at least five separate rods may be attached to either end of any other rod including an end-to-end attachment, since the end-to-end joint leaves space for attaching the ends of other rods.

The improved toy constructional unit of the present invention may be manufactured from various materials with or Without reinforcing and by Various processes. For example, the units may be made from wood, preferably hardwood, by the use of suitable machinery. The units may also be cast from various plastic materials such as synthetic resins either with or without reinforcement or they may be diecast from metal such as aluminum and zinc. The end joining members are preferably an integral part of the rod but may be made separate and attached to the rod proper. The cost of manufacturing the unit of the present invention will be relatively low compared to the manufacture of other structural toys because there is but a single element or unit to be made. They may however be made in various lengths Without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, but a single length is preferred because longer straight units may be built up by the end-to-end joining of two or more of the individual units.

While in the form of the invention described, the unit or rod includes four ngers and four fins on opposite ends of the rod, it is to be understood that two or more of such elements may be provided on the rod to provide a self-suiiicient unit for the building of toy structures within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Rods having three fins on one end and three fingers on the other are of considerable interest because three dimensional designs and structures may be built in which triangular or pyramidal designs will predominate. One of the three ns of a three-iin rod may be longer than the other two, similar to the fin tail I2 of the four-iin rods described above. Three dimensional structures or designs cannot be made with rods having only two attachment elements and such rods are therefore not as desirable as rods having 3 or more fins and fingers. Rods having ve or more fins and fingers are of particular interest in the construction of special designs and structures based on polygons or polyhedra having more than four sides or faces.

Other modifications may be made in the design of the units without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as dened by the accompanying claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is:

l. A constructional toy unit comprising a rod having unlike integral coupling members on opposite ends, one end including a plurality of relatively long similarly shaped and uniformly spaced fingers, the other end of said rod including a plurality of radial ns of uniform thickness and width, a iin tail on the fin end of said rod comprising an extension of one of said ns beyond the others, said fins and fin tail having a thickness such that they each are adapted to fit snugly between any two adjacent fingers of a similar rod.

2. A toy constructional unit comprising a rod havng complementary coupling members on opposite ends, one end including four relatively long similarly shaped and uniformly spaced fingers, and the other end including four radial ns of substantially uniform thickness, the thickness of said ns being such that they fit snugly between adjacent ngers of a similar rod.

3. A self sufficient building unit for erecting toy Structures comprising a relatively long rod of generally uniform dimensions, unlike coupling members on opposite ends of said rod, one end of the rod being adapted to joint with the unlike ends of similar rods to form an end-to-end joint, a 90 angle joint and an acute or obtuse angle joint, said coupling members being substantially complementary comprising a plurality of relatively long spaced fingers on one end of the rod and a plurality of relatively long radial fins on the other end of the rod.

4. A constructional toy unit comprising a relatively long rod having unlike end attachment members, the member at one end comprising four similar parallel-spaced fingers having beveled ends, the member at the other end comprising four long ns parallel to the axis of the rod and mounted at right angles to each other, the thickness of said fins being substantially the same as the width of the spaces between said fingers.

5. A constructional toy unit as defined by claim l in which said rod includes four radial ns of uniform thickness and a fm tail comprising an extension of two opposite fins beyond the others, said fins and iin tail being of the same uniform thickness and said fin tail being adapted to be directly inserted and held between adjacent lingers of a similar rod.

6. A toy constructional unit as defined by claim 2 in which the finger end of one rod is adapted to inter-mesh with the iin end of a similar rod to form an end to end joint.

'7. A constructional toy unit as defined by claim 4 in which one pair of ns mounted in the same plane extend beyond the other pair to form a fin tail.

8. A constructional toy unit as defined by claim 4 in which the ends of said fingers are beveled so that the slope of the bevel is away from the other end of the toy unit.

9. An improved rod for erecting toy structures which comprises a rod having unlike end attachment members one end of which includes at least three relatively long similarly shaped fingers uniformly spaced from each other parallel to the axis of the rod, and the other end of which includes a plurality of relatively long fins uniformly spaced from each other parallel to the axis of the rod, the fingers of one rod being adapted to form a substantially rigid end to end inter-meshing joint with the fins of a similar rod.

10. An improved rod as defined by claim 9 in which the n end of therod includes a n tail extending beyond some of said fins and having a thickness so that it nts snugly between adjacent fingers of a similar rod.

11. In a toy constructional unit adapted to be used in the construction of toy structures, an improved relatively long rod compared to its thickness, the rod having an end structure adapted to be attached to a separate rod, said end structure including a plurality of radial fins formed symmetrically in the said end of the rod about and parallel to its axis, the said end attachment structure being adapted to intermesh end to end with said separate rod Which has an end structure comprising a plurality of similarly shaped and uniformly spaced fingers at least equal in number to the number of said ns, to form a comparatively rigid end to end joint.

l2. In a toy structure comprisng a plurality of similar units, an improved unit comprisng a rod having an end attachment member which includes at least three relatively long and similarly shaped ngers of uniform cross-section and spaced from each other a substantial distance,

said fingers being mounted substantially parallel to the axis of the rod to permit any two adjacent ngers to be attached at an acute angle by friction over a fin on another rod, the ends of said fingers being beveled to improve said acute angle attachment.

13. A toy constructional rod having unlike but Substantially complementary end attachment members for joining rods together end to end, one only of said attachment members comprising a plurality of integral radial ns of uniform thickness and spacing throughout and extending parallel to the axis of the rod, each of said fins being of uniform thickness, and one of said radial ns extending beyond the end of the rod proper and being adapted to form a right angle attachment With the end of a similar rod having recesses complementary to the n end of the first rod by direct insertion into said complementary end at the desired point of attachment.

WILBUR G. LAIRD. 

